Foundation Medicine, Inc. has announced that it has partnered with the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute (ALCMI) and Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation (ALCF) to launch a first of its kind, multi-center, international prospective study, the Genomics of Young Lung Cancer. This study aims to better inform treatment decisions in young adults with lung cancer by leveraging FoundationOne®, the only commercially available and validated comprehensive genomic profile, to look beyond the genomic alterations commonly associated with lung cancer and identify the novel and unique alterations that present in lung cancers in young adults. This insight, in combination with the expertise of leading academic institutions and peer-reviewed literature, will be applied to determine more effective treatment options and tailor therapies precisely for these distinct and underserved patients.

In 2014, 224,000 new cases of lung cancer are expected to be diagnosed; 3,700 of these are expected to occur in patients under the age of 45. Eighty percent of new lung cancer diagnoses are made in former or never-smokers, and three percent of cancer diagnoses made in patients younger than 45 will be lung cancer1.

"Lung cancer presents in a unique manner in young adults, who often do not exhibit the characteristic symptoms and signs of a typical patient with lung cancer," said Steven Young, President and COO of ALCMI. "Despite an environment of rapidly expanding treatment options available for lung cancer, a lack of understanding of comprehensive testing for the molecular drivers of the disease specifically in young adults restricts the effective treatments available to patients at a tragically early stage in their lives. Through this initial study, we hope to address this gap in knowledge and access, and lay the groundwork to routinely identify more effective treatment options for these patients."

The Genomics of Young Lung Cancer study is designed to fit the unique needs of young adults, allowing patients to remotely enroll in the trial online or through their mobile phones. Through the extensive network of community cancer centers available through the ALCMI consortium, patients are able to participate at a location that is convenient for them with minimal travel.

Principal Investigator on the trial, Barbara Gitlitz, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Southern California, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, said, "Lung cancer is fundamentally different in young adults and the current standard of care does not account for this distinction. This trial has the potential to significantly improve treatment options for young adults through a more thorough understanding of the genomic drivers of lung cancer unique to these patients."

"It is important to approach this often overlooked patient population with a vision that is unbiased by our current observations of lung cancer," said Deborah Morosini, MD, Vice President of Clinical Development, Foundation Medicine. "Some of our prior work highlights that lung cancer in young adults is biologically distinct, so it is important to take a comprehensive approach to identify previously unconsidered and novel alterations that may be driving the disease in this population, and can be targeted with currently available treatments. We are excited to be collaborating with the ALCMI consortium on this innovative trial that we anticipate will ultimately inform novel treatment strategies that will be more effective and better suited to the life stage of these young patients."

Additional information about the study can be found at https://www.openmednet.org/site/alcmi-goyl or by contacting Steven Young at (203) 226-5765 or info@lungcancerfoundation.org. Individuals living outside the U.S. may contact ALCMI at info@lungcancerfoundation.orgfor information on how to participate.